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Several of the state’s most important and recognized public figures packed The Lyric Friday morning , July 24, for the announcement of Oxford’s new boutique hotel, Chancellor’s House.
Located at the intersection of South Lamar and University Avenue, Chancellor’s House is set to open in the summer of 2016. Featuring a combination of 31 rooms and suites, the Chancellor’s House aims for an unprecedented level of hospitality and elegance in Oxford lodging.
The project is the brainchild of N. David Porter, president of Texas oil and gas company Sendero Energy, Inc. Porter says that he got the idea to open a boutique hotel in the center of Oxford upon visiting his son, an Ole Miss sophomore, and recognizing the demand for such an establishment.
“We came up here to visit [our son] during a football weekend, and not being as familiar as we should have been, we didn’t make a reservation here,” Porter explains. “We really fell in love with Oxford and Ole Miss, [and] the sense of family and tradition.”
“We said, what if we could build something really nice, where you can just park at the hotel, walk to the Square, walk to school, leave that car, and just enjoy visiting here with our sons and daughters and enjoy this wonderful place?”
Though Porter is a graduate of Texas A&M University, several Ole Miss graduates join him at the helm of this project: the management group is owned by brothers Fred and William Alias, while PR is handled by Amanda Brown Olmstead’s Atlanta-based company. Tommy Stone, project developer, was the first on-field Colonel Reb mascot.
Among the amenities previewed at the luncheon were underground valet parking, a High Tea Room, the Chancellor’s Grill private-club style restaurant, and a Grand Ballroom for wedding receptions and other gala events. The hotel will also feature a rooftop restaurant with views of Oxford and the Square, an outdoor patio, and a fully-stocked Library with different hors d’oeurves and liquors served daily. A Steinway grand piano in the lobby confirms that no expense will be spared in treating guests to a luxurious stay.
Several specialty packages will also be available to guests, such as a hunting and fishing school at Prairie Wildlife in West Point, cooking classes with renowned chefs, and performances at the Gertrude C. Ford Center on campus. Perhaps the most attractive and involved of these packages, however, is the football package, which will treat guests to 30 football games over the course of five years, complete with a private box at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, an exclusive Chancellor’s House tent in the Grove, and golf and spa packages each football season.
Some of the other guests in attendance included Governor Phil Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, former Senator Trent Lott, and interim university Chancellor Morris Stocks.
Chef John Currence of City Grocery fame was also in attendance, and hinted at plans to potentially provide some concierge accommodations to the property in the future.
“Oxford has, I think, for the last fifteen or twenty years, been hungry for a real boutique property that will cater to a small segment of the folks that are coming here,” said Currence. “Everything I know about the project so far seems to hit it squarely on the bull’s eye.”
“I hope that they can meet the level of ambition that they’ve set out with.” 
